Penn State News - DNAPopular news on DNA from Penn Statehttp://www.psu.edu/
en-usPenn State University Relationsnews@psu.edu (Penn State News)Disadvantaged environments affect genetic material, study findshttp://news.psu.edu/story/310992/2014/04/08/research/disadvantaged-environments-affect-genetic-material-study-finds
Children experiencing chronic stress from a disadvantaged life have shorter telomeres than their advantaged peers, according to a study led by Dr. Daniel Notterman, vice dean for research and graduate studies, and professor of pediatrics, and biochemistry and molecular biology, Penn State College of Medicine.
http://news.psu.edu/story/310992/2014/04/08/research/disadvantaged-environments-affect-genetic-material-study-findsTue, 08 Apr 2014 11:09 -0400Penn State News - DNATurning biologists into programmershttp://news.psu.edu/story/291323/2013/10/14/research/turning-biologists-programmers
For more than half a century scientists have looked on the DNA molecule as life's blueprint, but biological engineers are beginning to see the molecule not as a static plan, but more like a snippet of life's computer code that they can program. Penn State researchers are now unraveling the mystery of how nature codes and recodes this program to address some of the world's biggest challenges, says Howard Salis, assistant professor of biological engineering and chemical engineering.
http://news.psu.edu/story/291323/2013/10/14/research/turning-biologists-programmersMon, 14 Oct 2013 11:06 -0400Penn State News - DNAGenome of elastomeric materials creates novel materialshttp://news.psu.edu/story/286791/2013/09/09/research/genome-elastomeric-materials-creates-novel-materials
A wide range of biologically inspired materials may now be possible by combining protein studies, materials science and RNA sequencing, according to an international team of researchers.
http://news.psu.edu/story/286791/2013/09/09/research/genome-elastomeric-materials-creates-novel-materialsMon, 09 Sep 2013 10:23 -0400Penn State News - DNAAutism linked to increased genetic change in regions of genome instabilityhttp://news.psu.edu/story/271574/2013/04/03/science-and-technology/autism-linked-increased-genetic-change-regions-genome
Children with autism have increased levels of genetic change in regions of the genome prone to DNA rearrangements, so-called "hotspots," according to a research discovery to be published in the print edition of the journal Human Molecular Genetics. The research indicates that these genetic changes come in the form of an excess of duplicated DNA segments in hotspot regions and may affect the chances that a child will develop autism -- a behavioral disorder that affects about 1 of every 88 children in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control. The research collaboration was led by a team from Penn State's Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology.
http://news.psu.edu/story/271574/2013/04/03/science-and-technology/autism-linked-increased-genetic-change-regions-genomeWed, 03 Apr 2013 14:05 -0400Penn State News - DNASimpson lecture to focus on 'Visualizing Protein-DNA Interactions'http://news.psu.edu/story/142363/2013/02/04/simpson-lecture-focus-visualizing-protein-dna-interactions
Eric C. Greene, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biophysics at Columbia University and an Early Career Scientist at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, will present the 2012/2013 Robert T. Simpson Memorial Lecture in Molecular Medicine at 4 p.m. Feb. 11, in 101 Althouse Laboratory. This free public lecture, titled "Visualizing Protein-DNA Interactions at the Single-molecule Level Using DNA Curtains," will focus on the molecular mechanisms that cells use to repair, maintain and decode their genetic information. The lecture is sponsored by the department of biochemistry and molecular biology.
Greene's laboratory has pioneered novel technologies for studying protein-DNA interactions at the single-molecule level. This work relies on a technique called total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy, which Greene and his colleagues use to visualize proteins as they interact with specific sections of the DNA molecule. This technique allows Greene's lab to directly visualize on the order of 100 to 1,000 individual DNA molecules within a single field of view, along with any fluorescently tagged proteins that are bound to the DNA. This technology was developed specifically as a flexible experimental platform adaptable to the study of a wide range of protein nucleic-acid interactions.
http://news.psu.edu/story/142363/2013/02/04/simpson-lecture-focus-visualizing-protein-dna-interactionsMon, 04 Feb 2013 15:03 -0500Penn State News - DNASupreme Court Justices ponder law professor's expert evidence treatisehttp://news.psu.edu/story/147974/2012/07/13/supreme-court-justices-ponder-law-professors-expert-evidence-treatise
The U.S. Supreme Court has decided three cases over the last three years on the Sixth Amendment right of criminal defendants to confront the forensic scientists or technicians who perform laboratory tests. Professor David H. Kaye and his two co-authors of The New Wigmore, A Treatise on Evidence: Expert Evidence (2d ed. 2011) were among the first academic lawyers to analyze the issue in detail. In the latest case on the subject, Williams v. Illinois, decided June 18, the Supreme Court took notice.
http://news.psu.edu/story/147974/2012/07/13/supreme-court-justices-ponder-law-professors-expert-evidence-treatiseFri, 13 Jul 2012 11:17 -0400Penn State News - DNARockne Harmon to present forensic science lecture on familial DNAhttp://news.psu.edu/story/150262/2012/04/02/rockne-harmon-present-forensic-science-lecture-familial-dna
Rockne P. Harmon, former senior deputy district attorney for Alameda County in California, will present a lecture hosted by the Penn State Forensic Science program of the Eberly College of Science. The lecture, titled "Solving Cold Cases through Familial DNA Searching: Issues and Answers," will begin at 12:20 p.m. on Thursday, 12 April 2012 in the 129 Waring Building at the Penn State University Park campus. The free public lecture is sponsored by the Penn State Eberly College of Science.
http://news.psu.edu/story/150262/2012/04/02/rockne-harmon-present-forensic-science-lecture-familial-dnaMon, 02 Apr 2012 09:52 -0400Penn State News - DNAProbable Causehttp://news.psu.edu/story/141931/2012/03/14/research/probable-cause
Fingerprints have been used for over a century as a way of identifying criminals. In current practice, however, fingerprint evidence is not permitted in court unless examiners claim absolute certainty that a mark has been left by a particular suspect. The problem is, this courtroom certainty is based purely on expert opinion, which—however well-informed—must in the end be subjective.
http://news.psu.edu/story/141931/2012/03/14/research/probable-causeWed, 14 Mar 2012 (All day) -0400Penn State News - DNASoftware helps synthetic biologists customize protein productionhttp://news.psu.edu/story/156722/2011/07/21/software-helps-synthetic-biologists-customize-protein-production
A software program developed by a Penn State synthetic biologist could provide biotechnology companies with genetic plans to help them turn bacteria into molecular factories, capable of producing everything from biofuels to medicine.
http://news.psu.edu/story/156722/2011/07/21/software-helps-synthetic-biologists-customize-protein-productionThu, 21 Jul 2011 08:29 -0400Penn State News - DNALife history may affect mutation rates in males more than in femaleshttp://news.psu.edu/story/157343/2011/06/13/life-history-may-affect-mutation-rates-males-more-females
Scientists at Penn State have used large-scale DNA sequencing data to investigate, for the first time, a longstanding evolutionary assumption: that DNA mutation rates are influenced by life-history traits, including metabolic rate and the length of time between generations. The research team found, for example, a higher rate of DNA mutations in the male sperm versus the female egg. One of the many implications of this research is that life-history traits of extinct species now could be discoverable.
http://news.psu.edu/story/157343/2011/06/13/life-history-may-affect-mutation-rates-males-more-femalesMon, 13 Jun 2011 12:12 -0400Penn State News - DNAPackaging process for genes discovered in new researchhttp://news.psu.edu/story/157839/2011/05/19/packaging-process-genes-discovered-new-research
Scientists at Penn State have achieved a major milestone in the attempt to assemble, in a test tube, entire chromosomes from their component parts. The achievement reveals the process a cell uses to package the basic building blocks of an organism's entire genetic code -- its genome. The evidence provided by early research with the new procedure overturns three previous theories of the genome-packaging process and opens the door to a new era of genome-wide biochemistry research. A paper describing the team's achievement will be published in the journal Science on May 20.
http://news.psu.edu/story/157839/2011/05/19/packaging-process-genes-discovered-new-researchThu, 19 May 2011 14:00 -0400Penn State News - DNASpeakers for Research Unplugged series announcedhttp://news.psu.edu/story/159840/2011/03/15/research/speakers-research-unplugged-series-announced
The first signs of spring mark the return to downtown State College of Research Unplugged, a non-traditional lecture series where experts from varying fields lead conversations with community members. All six Research Unplugged talks will be held Wednesdays from noon to 1 p.m., at the Penn State Downtown Theatre on Allen Street. On March 23, join sociology professor Sam Richards and colleague Danna Jayne Seballos of the "World in Conversation Project" to find out "Why Race Still Matters: Creating Conversations in 21st Century Classrooms."
http://news.psu.edu/story/159840/2011/03/15/research/speakers-research-unplugged-series-announcedTue, 15 Mar 2011 11:15 -0400Penn State News - DNABeth Shapiro awarded Packard Fellowshiphttp://news.psu.edu/story/163924/2010/10/15/academics/beth-shapiro-awarded-packard-fellowship
Beth Shapiro, the Shaffer Career Development Assistant Professor of Biology at Penn State University, has won a David and Lucile Packard Foundation fellowship to explore the origins and evolution of viruses.
http://news.psu.edu/story/163924/2010/10/15/academics/beth-shapiro-awarded-packard-fellowshipFri, 15 Oct 2010 12:56 -0400Penn State News - DNAIs DNA evidence enough? An interview with David Kayehttp://news.psu.edu/story/141630/2010/07/27/research/dna-evidence-enough-interview-david-kaye
An interview with Penn State Law Professor David Kaye
http://news.psu.edu/story/141630/2010/07/27/research/dna-evidence-enough-interview-david-kayeTue, 27 Jul 2010 (All day) -0400Penn State News - DNANew research about human development and human genetic diseaseshttp://news.psu.edu/story/167735/2010/04/28/new-research-about-human-development-and-human-genetic-diseases
New Penn State research about human development and human genetic diseases reveals that jumping elements, some of which cause genetic diseases, become incorporated in the genome at different stages of human development. The density of transposable (jumping) elements between sex chromosomes in primates may have important consequences for the studies of human genetic diseases, say researchers Erika Kvikstad, a 2009 Penn State doctoral graduate in genetics, and Kateryna Makova, an associate professor of biology.
http://news.psu.edu/story/167735/2010/04/28/new-research-about-human-development-and-human-genetic-diseasesWed, 28 Apr 2010 23:36 -0400Penn State News - DNA